


Run Boy Run

by Itbelikethatsometimes



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Drug Abuse, Harley Keener & Peter Parker Friendship, Harley Keener Needs a Hug, Harley Keener is a Good Bro, Hurt Harley Keener, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Mess, Suicidal Thoughts, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:33:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27240517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itbelikethatsometimes/pseuds/Itbelikethatsometimes
Summary: Tomorrow is another dayAnd when the night fades awayYou'll be a man, boy.But for now, it's time to run, it's time to run. -Run Boy Run, WoodkidORHarley didn’t have many friends at school. He didn’t have any actually. He just wasn’t interested in being friends with anyone in Rosehill. Not to mention Rosehill High. His school wasn’t a special school. It was hardly a school at all. He was sent to the school with the worst funding in all of Tennessee. Whatever little amount of funding they received would go towards sports. Harley hated it. But, they couldn’t afford a better school.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This is a rewrite of my previous fic Consequences For Your Actions. I really wasn't happy with that fic so I'm trying again.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	1. Why Harley Hates Hockey Players

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Consequences for your actions](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25884193) by [Itbelikethatsometimes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itbelikethatsometimes/pseuds/Itbelikethatsometimes). 



> So I know it's weird to do this but I'm restarting this fic. I think my pacing was a bit too fast on my last one. So, I'm trying to be more in-depth and focus more on character development than plot development. I know that's one of my biggest pitfalls as a writer and I'm trying to fix it. So, without further ado, try number 2. Enjoy!

The phone buzzed for the fourth time that week. It was beginning to annoy him. The last thing he wanted to do was talk on the phone. He let it ring until it automatically turned off. The screen went dark and there was silence once again. Harley audibly sighed. Silence seldom came by. It was always irritating to be in constant noise. 

In the darkness of his bedroom, he lied in bed. He wasn’t doing anything. Just lying there. But, that was the way he liked it. Silent. He enjoyed it as often as he could. 

His phone began ringing again. He groaned and picked it up. Tony was calling. Harley considered letting it ring. He was really tempted. There were too many reasons to count as to why he didn’t want to talk to Tony. One of the main ones was the awkward silence. So. Many. Awkward. Silences. It made him feel weird when neither of them talked. But, he decided he’d rather not have the avengers knocking at his door. He answered and lifted the phone to his ear.

“Hi,” Harley said. He hadn’t realized how raspy his voice was. It made him flinch.

“Hey kid, did I wake you up?” Tony asked. He sounded the same as always. He wasn’t sure why. But, Harley was annoyed by it.

“Yea,” He really just wanted this conversation to be over.

“I was just checking in with you. How you feeling?”

Harley rolled his eyes. His mom must’ve told him about his absences at school. He hated it when she told Tony.

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Just wondering…” 

The first awkward silence began. Harley was internally screaming. He couldn’t describe how much he hated awkward silences. 

“Tony… I know why you called.” Harley said, finally deciding to speak up. 

“Your mom called,” Tony sighed. “She told me you’ve been missing school. What’s up?”

“Just busy.’’ He thought it was better to keep his answers short and vague. It was the easiest way to ‘keep Tony updated’. 

“Busy with what?”

“Homework…” Not his best work. He really didn’t do too well on that one. 

“Ok… Just try to get to class ok?” Tony asked, clearly avoiding further questions.

“Ok…” Harley said.

Awkward silence number 2... Great. 

“I’ll talk to you later,” Harley said.

“Alright. See ya kid.”

Harley hung up and rolled his eyes. He was about to return to the silence when the front door opened. He sighed deeply and reached under his mattress. He pulled out a small metal tin, counted the contents, and placed it back under the mattress. He could survive one more day in Rosehill. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harley left the house as early as possible in the morning. It was freezing outside. Classic Tennessee… He didn’t really care about the cold though. He’d lived there his whole life. 

A thick layer of snow crunched beneath his feet as he walked to his bus stop. He would’ve driven. But, he’d taken the oil out and forgotten to refill it the day before. So, he was taking the bus. He hadn’t taken the bus for a whole year. He kind of forgot what it was like. He wasn’t excited to be reminded. 

Harley didn’t have many friends at school. He didn’t have any actually. He just wasn’t interested in being friends with anyone in Rosehill. Not to mention Rosehill High. His school wasn’t a special school. It was hardly a school at all. He was sent to the school with the worst funding in all of Tennessee. Whatever little amount of funding they received would go towards sports. Harley hated it. But, they couldn’t afford a better school. 

He wasn’t really worried about his own academic achievements. He breezed through all his classes. He hardly had to show up. He was mostly worried about his sister Abbie. Sure, she had friends. She was actually a bit popular in junior high. But, once she got to Rosehill High, Harley worried she would be known as Keener’s sister. Being known as Harley Keener’s little sister wasn’t a good thing. Harley always worried about what people would think of Abbie. He didn’t much care what they thought of him though. They could do whatever they wanted to him. But, if they messed with Abbie…

Harley pushed those thoughts from his mind as he arrived at his bus stop. He shoved his headphones in and played his music. He wanted to avoid social interactions as much as possible. 

A group of guys he knew approached the bus stop. Harley pretended not to notice. He just kept his eyes on the snowy sidewalk. The guys were loud as usual. They were shouting about hockey or something. 

The bus finally arrived and Harley climbed on. He found an empty seat in the middle of the bus and sat. He put his bag beside him in an attempt to keep anyone from sitting beside him. He hated sitting beside strangers. It was awkward.

He tried his best to relax as the bus took off down the street. He stared out the window and tried to keep his breathing steady. Now he remembered why he got his license the day he turned 16. He hated the bus. It made him panic. But, he had no other option. He made a mental note to refill his oil tank when he got home. 

The bus stopped a few times before someone sat beside him. His bag didn’t work. They had just picked it up and dropped it on the floor. Harley again pretended not to notice.

He did, however, notice when the person leaned close beside him and whispered “Hey shit head”

Harley again ignored him.

“How’s your mom doing?” A group of guys behind him all giggled. But Harley clenched his jaw and ignored them. They didn’t like that. The guy beside him grabbed Harly’s headphone wires and yanked them from his ears. Harley turned his head to see Jack Saunders smirking at him. 

“I’m talking to you dumbass. Are you deaf?” The group of guys giggled again. Harley turned his gaze back to the window. His fists now clenched on his lap. Jack definitely noticed. He must’ve noticed Harley was really close to reacting. Harley could practically hear the cogs turning in Jack’s mind. And it pissed him off that He was right. 

“You know… I’m excited to meet your sister. Maybe she won’t be a slut like your mom.”

“Shut up,” Harley said, keeping his eyes locked on the window.

“Oh, I’m sorry… Did I hurt your feelings?” Jack mocked. The hockey team behind them was laughing out loud now.

“Just fuck off,” Harley replied.

The hockey team faked offence and egged Jack on.

“You gonna let him talk to you like that Jack?” One of them shouted.

“Yea, you better apologize, Keener,” Another said.

Harley clenched his jaw and remained silent. 

“Oooh… You gotta learn some respect, Keener,” Jack said. “You don’t wanna end up like you daddy. Oh, wait…”  
“Just fuck off!” Harley shouted.

“Hey! Who said that?” The driver said, pulling over to the side of the road.

“It was Harley sir!” Jack said.

“Keener… You know my language policy. You’re gonna have to walk from here.”

Harley rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag. Jack slid out of the seat to let Harley out. As Harley walked down the aisle, He heard Jack shout “See you after school, Keener!”

Harley climbed off and watched his ride drive off without him. He sighed and plugged his headphones back in. He played his music and began his long walk to school. He was thankful the bus had taken him at least halfway. But, it was still another 20 minutes until he would get there. He was fine with being late for homeroom though. It was algebra and he really didn’t give a shit about it. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day went by as usual. He went to class, ate lunch in the school’s poor excuse for a mechanics room, and then headed to the bus. It wasn’t until after he’d gotten halfway across the parking lot did he remember Jack’s threat. And by that point, it was too late. He whipped his head around when he heard Jack shout after him. The whole Hockey team was approaching him. Harley turned back towards the school. He quickened his pace but he wouldn’t run. They would outrun him. He tried to stay calm as he swerved between parked cars. If he could get back in the school, he could hide out in the mechanics room. 

But, just as his fingers grazed the door handle, he was yanked back by his backpack. A hand on his shoulder spun him around and he was met with Jack and the rest of the hockey team. 

“Hey, Keener. How was your walk?” Jack asked.

“What do you want?” Harley just wanted to have one day unbothered. 

“I want my apology,” Jack sneered.

“You’re not gonna get it,” Harley said, turning back towards the school.

He was hoping he would make it. But, he knew the chances were slim they would just let him walk away. 

Before he could even reach for the door, Jack grabbed him by the backpack and pulled him away. Two of the hockey players grabbed him and dragged him behind the school. It was always deserted after school. And there happened to be a lack of cameras. Harley was sadly very familiar with this side of the school parking lot. It was where the hockey team beat the shit out of anyone they didn’t like.

The two guys shoved Harley into the wall. They formed a semi-circle around him. No escape. “Sure you don’t wanna apologize?”

“Fuck you,” Harley spat.

Jack was about to throw a punch. But, Harley shoved him away before he could. That really pissed them off. The two guys who had dragged him earlier grabbed his arms and held him still while Jack punched him in the jaw. Harley’s head snapped back and hit the brick wall behind them. His vision got spotty for a moment. He didn’t see the punch to his stomach coming. 

Harley doubled over and coughed. His arms were released and he fell to the ground. Jack stomped down hard on Harley’s back. His head hit the pavement and his vision went dark for a moment. All he heard was laughter.

“Fuckin fag,” Jack said and they all retreated before the bus could leave. That was an efficient beating. They kicked his ass and called him a fag all without missing the bus. That had to have been a new record for them. 

Harley lied in the snow for a moment before hauling himself to his feet. His head was pounding. He could taste blood in his mouth. He realized he had bit a chunk of his lip when Jack had punched him. That was gonna take forever to heal. He picked up a handful of fresh snow and placed it against his lip. God, he hated hockey players.


	2. Why Harley Should Find Better Hiding Spots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: drug abuse mention and alcohol mention.

Harley spent the rest of the day in the garage with Abbie. He was refilling the oil in his car and she was sitting on the couch doing her homework. Harley liked hanging out with Abbie. Sure, she was only thirteen, but Harley knew she was really mature. More mature than he was at least. She was always the one to tell him to stay out of trouble. And she was the one to patch him up after he directly ignored her advice. She knew it wasn't his fault though. She never blamed him for any of the bad things that happened. She never blamed anyone in fact. Harley had no clue what he’d do without her. 

The two worked in silence until Harley finished with the car. 

“Is that why you took the bus today?” Abbie asked without looking up from her math textbook.

“Yea,” Harley replied, lifting his backpack onto the desk and pulling out his homework.

“You shouldn’t take the bus.”

“Yea I realized that,” Harley laughed. The previous events now seemed kinda funny to him. 

“I don’t think this is funny Harley,” Abbie said, finally tearing her gaze from the textbook.

“It’s fine Abs. I made a mistake and I paid for it. I’m fine now.”

Abbie rolled her eyes. Not in a mean way though. When she rolled her eyes it was more of a disappointed roll. Not an annoyed roll. Polar opposite of him. 

“I just think this is something you should be taking more seriously. What if next time is worse? What if they take it too far?” Abbie did have a horrible habit of overthinking. She was constantly thinking up scenarios in which she or more often Harley died horrifically. Harley tried to ease her conscience as best he could. But, once she got an idea in her mind, it wouldn’t leave. Ever.

“Abbie,” Harley said, turning his rolling chair to face her. Her brows were furrowed and she was sucking on the sleeve of her t-shirt. She had been doing it since she was a kid. “I fixed the car. I’ll be fine. No more bus.” 

She nodded. But, Harley knew she would continue to dwell on the awful what-ifs for the rest of the week. 

They both worked in silence for the rest of the night. Abbie went to sleep a few hours later. Harley always stayed up later tinkering with whatever junk he could find on the side of the road. That particular night he was messing around with a tv remote. He had no real plan. He had taken tv remotes apart and put them together. So, he knew how they worked and all that. He just liked messing with the circuit board and seeing if it would still turn on afterward. He knew enough about circuit boards to know what to sodder and what to leave. But, he liked to mess around sometimes. Push the limits.

After a few hours of that, he heard the front door open. His mother was laughing. He stood and moved for the door. But, he froze when he heard a male voice. They were laughing. Harley pressed his ear against the door and listened. He didn’t recognize the man’s voice. 

“Shhh my kids are asleep,” He clearly heard his mom giggle. 

He heard footsteps up the stairs. He decided to stop listening after that. He rolled his eyes and shoved his headphones in. He turned his music as loud as he could. Whatever was happening upstairs was something he could live without hearing. 

He messed with the remote for a while before getting bored and moving to the couch. He didn’t feel like leaving the garage. He grabbed the raggedy blanket crumpled on the floor and draped it over himself before reaching into his backpack and retrieving an orange bottle. He tossed a small white pill into his mouth and collapsed onto the couch. He took out his phone and hesitated. His thumb hovered above Tony’s contact. One tap and he could talk to him. Tell him everything that happened today. Yesterday. The past five years. He sighed and dropped his phone onto the couch beside him. He could survive at least one more day in Rosehill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harley’s alarm roared to life. He smacked his phone carelessly until it shut off. He shivered. The garage was not as warm as he thought it was. He sat up and stretched out his sore neck. The couch wasn’t as big as he thought. He could hear voices in the house. His mom and the man from last night. Harley sighed. He could see his breath. 

He went up to his room as quietly as possible. He really didn’t want to meet this random guy in the kitchen. He quickly got dressed and grabbed his car keys. He was reaching for the door to the garage when his mother called his name. 

“Harley? Is that you?” She asked from the kitchen.

Harley scowled. He was so close to escaping. He quickly wiped the bad look off his face and turned towards the kitchen. 

“Yea I’m just going to school.”

“Come here, there’s someone I want you to meet!” She said cheerfully. 

Harley waved at the man sitting at the table. He was a normal looking guy. Not particularly good looking but not bad looking. He had dark hair and a beard. He looked like the type of guy that wouldn’t live in Rosehill. Most of the people in Rosehill were old and hicks. Maybe a bit alcoholic. But, Harley couldn’t blame them. The only interesting thing about this town was the bars. (Maybe the Christmas pageant if you were into that type of thing). 

“This is Michael. We work together. I invited him over for breakfast. I was hoping you and Abbie would join us,” She looked so happy. It made Harley feel weird. He hadn’t seen her that happy since dad. They hadn’t had a family meal since dad. 

Michael waved “Hi,” Harley said in response. God, he hated how awkward it was.

“That’s ‘hi sir’ to you,” Michael said. Harley just nodded. “Just need a bit of respect.”

“So, Harley. Breakfast?” His mom seemed to not have noticed what Michael said.

“Uh, I’m late for school actually… I was just about to head out,” His mouth was dry.

“Oh ok, Well maybe you could drive Abbie today. It’s freezing.”

Harley nodded and made his escape. While he waited in the car for Abbie, he reached into his backpack and pulled the orange bottle out again. He tossed back a pill and swallowed. He didn’t even want to know what Abbie’s reaction to this situation would be. He was waiting for her to go crazy. But, when she climbed into the car, she seemed happy. 

“Did you see that guy?” Harley asked cautiously. 

Abbie hummed in response.

“What did you think?” 

“Mom seems really happy. Happiest I’ve ever seen her,” She sighed. It wasn’t an upset sigh. Or a sad sigh. Or even an annoyed sigh. It was a happy sigh. 

“What, you like him?” He was outraged. But, he kept his cool. 

“I mean… I don’t know. I didn’t really talk to him… But, mom was so happy.”

“I don’t like him.” 

“You didn’t even talk to him. Mom said you practically ran out the door when you saw him. Don’t act like she didn’t notice. You’re not as discrete as you think you are.”

“I’m really discrete actually,” Harley wanted to get off the topic. Abbie clearly wasn’t sharing his anger. He pulled out of the garage and started off to Abbie’s school. The car ride was silent. This wasn’t at all unusual for them. But, it was a different silence. It was heavy. There was tension. They remained this way the whole drive. It wasn’t until they were parked outside the school that Abbie spoke up. 

“I think you should cut mom some slack. She’s been through a lot. Maybe Michael is a good guy. I think she just needs someone to lean on.”

“She leans on me,” Harley said. He really didn’t want to make eye contact. So, he kept his eyes locked on the steering wheel. 

“Yea, too much. But, maybe Michael will help take some pressure off of you. Then you can focus on school. And maybe on applying to MIT?”

“You know I can’t do that Abs. I’m going to community college.”

“You can do so much better than that though! You can get into MIT no problem.”

“Yea, but tuition is too high. And it’s like five states away.”

“I’ll get a job. I’ll pay your tuition.”

Harley shook his head. He knew community college was his best bet. He couldn’t afford anything else. And he would rather die than ask Tony for money. 

“I know you want to go there,” Abbie said, sucking on her sleeve again. 

“I’ll pick you up after school ok?” he just wanted to end the conversation. He just wanted to go to school. 

Abbie nodded and exited the car. Harley pulled out of the parking lot and took off. He got to school and climbed out of the car. He could already tell it was going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harley ignored the Hockey team's threats and shouts as he made his way back to his car. He had trouble ignoring the snowballs and wet towels they were throwing though. But, he somehow managed to get into the car without being fully drenched. He rubbed the snow out of his hair and started the engine. He reversed out of his spot. But, he slammed on the breaks when he saw a car speed behind him. His reaction time was a bit off though. And the fresh layer of ice didn’t help either. His car slid into the speeding car behind him with a thump. He cringed and pulled back into his spot.

“Oh shit,” He said when he recognized whose car he had just hit. Of course, he hit Jack. It always had to be Jack. And now here he was. Stuck in the parking lot. He couldn’t drive away if he wanted to. He whipped his head to the side when he heard banging on the passenger side window. Jack was furious.

“You’re gonna fucking die Keener! I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

It wasn’t long until the whole hockey team was surrounding his car. He had no other options. He rolled the window down enough to talk to them. But, not enough for a hand to get through. 

“I’ll pay for the damages,” Harley said, refusing to look at him.

“Oh, I know you will. Get your ass out here and we’ll talk about it.” He seethed.

“Just tell me the damages-”

“No, you’re gonna pay for it right now. Get your ass out of the car Keener.”

Harley rolled the window back up. As soon as he opened the door a crack, Jack yanked it open and pulled Harley out. 

“I’m gonna fucking kill your fairy ass. My old man gives me the car once a month. You hit me on purpose didn’t you?” Jack shouted. 

“Why the fuck would I-” Jack grabbed him by the jacket.

“You need to learn some respect, Keener,” Jack said. The rest of the team echoed his statement. “I thought our lesson yesterday took care of that. But I guess you need a refreshment course.”

The team dragged Harley across the lot. As he was getting dragged, he caught a glimpse of Jack’s car. There was hardly a scratch in the paint. Typical. 

Harley struggled but kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to give them the satisfaction. Regardless of this, they still enjoyed it when they shoved him against the wall. 

“You gonna apologize?” Jack asked. 

“No,” Harley spat. He didn’t care what they were going to do to him. He wasn’t a coward. Sometimes he wished he was though. This was definitely one of those times. Jack punched him in the face. Right in the eye. Harley recovered quickly though. It obviously didn’t satisfy Jack enough. So, he held his hand out behind him and one of his friends handed him a hockey stick. 

Harley’s stomach dropped. They hadn’t ever used weapons before. He prepared himself as best he could before a blow to his stomach sent him to the ground. He coughed and wheezed for a moment. 

“Say you’re fucking sorry Keener,” Jack didn’t wait for an apology though. He began hitting Harley repeatedly with the stick. 

“Jack, he's had enough!” Someone shouted. But, Jack just screamed at them to shut up. One last hit and they all left. It took even longer for Harley to get up that time. His whole left side was covered in bruises. He limped back to the car and drove over to Abbie’s. He still had to pick her up. He wasn’t sure how he was going to explain this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abbie climbed in the car and her jaw instantly dropped. “Harley!” She gasped.

“I know.”

“Your face!”

“I know.” 

“Are you ok? What happened?”

“I’m fine. Just some assholes.”

“You have to report them! They should be expelled.”

“You know that’s not gonna happen. Boys will be boys.” Harley had experience in reporting violence. Every time they just brushed him off and said bullshit about ‘boys play rough’.

Abbie just looked at him hopelessly. He knew what she was feeling. Whenever there was no solution to a problem other than to ignore it, Abbie would feel hopeless. She would get all mopey and then think for days on how to fix it. Especially if it was one of Harley’s problems. He knew it killed her to see him in pain. That’s why he always had to put a brave face on for her. No matter how awful the problem was. When their father left, Harley was left to pick up the slack. Their mom went to rehab and they were with their grandmother. Four-year-old Harley was then dubbed the man of the house. And he was good at it. He took care of Abbie as best he could. He was there for her whenever their mom wasn’t. Which was sadly a lot. 

“It doesn’t hurt that bad,” He said in attempts to calm her.

“Those guys should be locked up.”

Harley didn’t respond. He wanted the conversation to end. He just wanted to get home and throw himself into his homework. Then, he would have an excuse to not talk about it. 

“Ignoring me won’t fix the problem, Harley,” Abbie said after a few minutes of silence.

“I’m not ignoring you. I just don’t want to talk about it.”

Abbie rolled her eyes. She was disappointed. Harley pretended he didn’t notice. They pulled into the driveway and he sighed. Abbie instantly climbed out of the car and ran into the house. Harley threw back a pill from his little orange bottle and followed slowly behind her.

“Harley Keener!” His mother shouted as he walked into the house. Harley was shocked. She hadn’t shouted like that in years. 

“Mom it’s not as bad as you think,” He assumed she was talking about the bruises all over his face. 

“What is this?” She was holding a small metal tin. She shook it and it rattled loudly. His stomach dropped. 

He was speechless.

“Why was this under your mattress?” Her eyes were full of tears. 

“It’s mints.”

She laughed but there was no humour in it. “You expect me to believe that bullshit? How many of these do you have?”

“That’s the only one.”

“Give me your bag…” She said.

“Mom-” He tried to explain himself. But, she didn’t want to hear it.

“Harley you give me your bag right now!” She was practically screaming. Harley slid his bag off and slowly handed it to her. She rummaged through it for a moment before stopping. She pulled out his little orange bottle. She sobbed. 

“Mom It’s not-”

“Who gave these to you? Where did you get these?”

He didn’t know how to answer it. He couldn’t tell her the truth. ‘Don’t worry mom. I used my college money on drugs.’

She dropped his backpack on the floor. “Tell me you haven’t taken any.”

He stayed silent. His eyes fixed to the floor.

“Tell me you’re sober,” Her voice was barely a whisper.

She stared at him waiting to hear what she wanted to hear. But, she already knew the truth. Harley had been self-medicating for years. He started his first year of junior high. At first, he just smoked weed. But, eventually, he moved on to better shit. Xanax, Adderall, valium. He knew his limits though. He never took more than two a day. 

“Mom I don’t need them… I can stop. I can stop, I promise.” 

“You know what this stuff has done to our family…” She said between sobs. “You know what it’s done to me. And you chose it willingly?” 

Harley shook his head. He couldn’t stop the tears from falling down his face. He hated how weak he was. He hated how he failed his mother. He failed Abbie. 

His mom didn’t say any more. She just dropped the bottle on the counter and walked up the stairs. Harley heard her bedroom door open and shut. That’s when he broke. He slid down the wall and buried his face beneath his hands. Deep sobs escaped him. He hadn’t broken like this since… He wasn’t sure he’d ever broken that much. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Abbie was kneeling beside him. She wasn’t crying. She was just sad. And worried. She didn’t say anything though. Harley was appreciative of that. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He hated how he failed his family. He hated himself.

He wasn’t sure if he could survive another day in Rosehill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanna let you know... It's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better. I know I haven't had Peter or Tony that much yet but I promise I'm getting there! I just really wanna focus on Harley for this fic so I wanted to spend the first few chapters with just him. But, They'll be in it soon don't worry. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll upload soon!


	3. Why Harley Can't Stay In Rosehill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everybody! Also happy holidays. Sorry for being gone for so long... I've been working almost every day and it's hard to find time to write. But, I'm getting better at time management and hopefully will have a bunch more chapters out soon. I think it's crazy I've been writing on here for a full year and you guys are still enjoying my stuff. I think I've come a long way since The Source. Now that I'm looking back on it I cringe at how mediocre it is. I've been thinking about rewriting it. Would you guys like that? Thanks so much for your support! I'm really excited about the new year and what it has to bring for me.

The phone buzzed again. Harley’s head snapped towards it. Tony’s name was glowing through the screen. The first signs of the sun were peaking over the horizon. He had spent another night in the garage. He didn't work on anything though. He just laid on the couch. Harley sighed and held the phone in his hand. He hesitated for a minute before answering.

He didn’t say hello. He didn’t acknowledge Tony. He just lifted the phone to his ear. 

“Just say the word and I’m there. I could make it down there by tomorrow night and help you fix this but I need you to say the word.”

Harley stayed silent. 

“This isn’t a lecture or me trying to chew you out. I want to help you.”

Harley knew Abbie had called Tony. He hated that she did. But, he knew he couldn’t stop her. 

“What did she tell you?” 

“Nothing. I wanted to hear it from you.”

“It’s nothing. I can handle it,” Harley lied.

“Kid, I know you think I don’t care. But, I do. I want you to grow up to use your genius for good. Not wasting it on pranks at school. Or that piece of junk car.”

Harley didn’t know how to respond. Mostly because he didn’t believe him. If Tony was telling the truth he would’ve taken Harley and his mom and Abbie to New York back when he was 11. He wouldn’t have left them there and only check up on them when Harley did something stupid. 

“Why’d you and your mom fight?” Tony broke the silence. 

Harley sighed. He really didn’t want to talk about it. “When I came home from school…” 

He realized at that moment that he didn’t owe Tony an explanation. He didn’t have to tell him. He didn’t have to know everything. 

“...I had a black eye and I wouldn’t tell her who did it,” He said instead.

“Harley…” There was a long pause. Tony sighed. “Why not?”

“Because it doesn’t matter. They’re just some douchebags. It’s whatever.”

“You don’t have to tell me. But, you should tell your mom. She’s just worried about you.”

“Yea I know,” Harley rolled his eyes. He’d heard this song and dance hundreds of times from Tony. ‘your mom is worried about you’ was his go-to cop-out. 

There was another long pause. 

“Hey, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later ok?” Tony said.

“Sure,” Harley replied. He hung up without another word. He dropped the phone down on the couch beside him. He was curled up in a blanket on the couch in the garage. The lights were off and he could see his breath. But, he didn’t move. He didn’t want to face Abbie in the house. He was still pissed that she called Tony. But, he was glad she didn’t have the chance to tell him everything. 

A low drum on the door caught his attention. He could see a shadow blocking the small ray of light under the door. He looked up but stayed quiet. He assumed it was Abbie. She probably wanted him to talk to her. He didn’t feel like it. 

“Harley I want to speak with you,” Harley sat bolt upright. It wasn’t Abbie. It was his mom. He wasn’t expecting her to ever want to talk to him again. 

“Ye- Yea come in,” He choked out. 

The door creaked open slowly. She sighed and entered. She flicked the light on and sat on his work stool. She was staring anywhere but him. 

The moment she entered Harley smelled alcohol. Her movements were sloppy and her balance was off.

“You’ve been drinking,” Harley said. The pit in his stomach grew deeper. 

She said nothing. She just looked around the room.

“Mom,” He said.

“You know why your father left?” She asked. The question caught Harley off guard. 

He had no clue how to answer that. 

“He left because he saw himself in you,” She said before he could answer.

“What does that mean?” 

“He knew you’d turn into him. And that scared the shit out of him. He knew you’d be the same junkie asshole he was.”

“What?” She had never talked to him this way. Never. It scared him.

“He was right. I didn’t believe him until today. I had so much hope for you.”

Harley stared at the floor. He could feel her gaze finally lay upon him.

“I want you out of my house,” She said after a long pause.

He shook his head. “You don’t mean that. You’re drunk…”

“I want you out!” She shouted. “I don’t want you near Abbie.”

Harley wiped the tears from his face and nodded. “So this is how you solve your problems? You just send them away?”

“No, you don’t get to say that. I tried.”

“You didn’t try shit! You never listened to us. You’re always gone. Who do you think will take care of Abbie when I’m gone? You won’t.”

“She can take care of herself,” She spat back.

“She’s thirteen!”

“You’ve been taking care of yourself since you were seven.”

“Because you weren’t there!”

“Don’t say that! Who took care of you when you had mono? Who took care of you when you broke your arm?”

“You can’t choose when to be here and when to leave. You were here when things were easy. But the second we need you you’re gone. What about when Abbie had nightmares? Or when Abbie had an asthma attack in gym class? You weren’t there.”

There was a loaded pause. She took a deep shaky breath. “Get out. Now. I don’t want to see you again.”

She rose from her stool and opened the door. Abbie was standing there. Her face was wet with tears. Their mom hesitated at the sight of her but she just went around Abbie and back up the stairs to her bedroom.

Harley wiped his face and stood. He grabbed his backpack and began shoving tools and blueprints into it. He zipped it up and tossed it into the back seat of the car. He opened the door and sat in the driver's seat.

“Harley, she’s drunk she didn’t mean it,” Abbie said between sobs. “Just wait until tomorrow morning. She’ll take it back.” 

“Clearly she doesn’t want me here!” Harley snapped. “It’s fine. I’ll be ok.”

“Let me come with you then.”

“No, you stay here with mom. She needs you.”

“But I need you. You can’t go.”

Harley started the car. The garage door opened. “I have to. I’ll come back though. You just have to take care of mom for a while. This will blow over and I’ll come back.”

“Where are you going?” 

Harley shrugged. He backed the car out onto the street and sped off. He didn’t stop to look at Abbie again. It would’ve been too hard. But, he knew he’d go back for her soon. Once he figured out where he was going.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a while of driving aimlessly through the town, his situation finally hit him. He pulled into the nearest Walmart parking lot and pressed his forehead against the steering wheel. He couldn’t stop the tears from falling down his face. Everything that had happened in the past week crashed down on him. 

He decided he only had one place he could go. He wiped his eyes and grabbed his phone from his pocket. He searched through his contacts until he saw Tony. He sighed and pressed call. 

It rang a few times before going to voicemail. That never happened before. Harley had never heard Tony’s voicemail in his life. Even the one time he called and Tony was in the middle of an avengers meeting. He still picked up.

He couldn’t help but think something bad happened to Tony. If he wasn’t answering then something bad must’ve happened. 

He pushed those thoughts away and called him again. It rang a few times and then went to voicemail. Harley decided to leave a message. 

“Hey, old man… This is weird. I've never left you a voice messenger before. So, something happened and I’m on my way to New York. I was hoping I could stay with you for a few days. So call me back…” He dropped his phone down on the passenger seat and turned around. He had memorized the route to New York in case he ever needed it. (In case Tony ever needed him for Avengers stuff) which never happened. But, he was glad he did.

Harley was finally leaving Rosehill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know any mistakes in the comments. And feel free to check out any of my other stories. (Some of the old ones are bad though so be aware of that lmao). Thank you guys so much for reading. I hope the next few chapters will be up soon!


	4. Why Peter Hates Latin Class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm back. I'm not done with applications. But, I managed to write this while procrastinating an essay. I hope you like it!

ONE WEEK AGO

“Come on kid pick up…” Tony said as the dial tone rang. 

“The person you’re calling is unavailable at the moment. Please hang up and try your call again later.”

Tony sighed and hung up. Harley had been avoiding him all week. He called him four times. There was no way he was busy all four times. Tony was tired of chasing him around. So, he called again. If the kid didn’t answer Tony was going to fly to Rosehill and check on him. Armour and everything. 

Luckily, Harley picked up. 

“Hi,” He said. His voice was hoarse. He sounded tired.

“Hey kid, did I wake you up?” Tony asked.

“Yea,” He replied. Tony felt a bit sick. After what his mom called him about… It was hard to reach out.

“I was just checking in with you. How you feeling?” Tony had his fair share of school absences. Harley was like him. Too smart for school. But, Tony learned first hand that regardless of how smart he was, his grades would slip if he missed too many classes.

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Just wondering…” 

Tony had no clue when Harley went from asking a million questions at a time and nonstop talking to one-sentence answers. The kid hardly spoke anymore according to his mom. Tony couldn’t help but feel guilty. He should’ve been more attentive over the past few years. Maybe he should have visited a few times. Or brought Harley to the tower.

“Tony… I know why you called.” Harley said, finally deciding to speak up. 

“Your mom called,” Tony sighed. “She told me you’ve been missing school. What’s up?”

“Just busy,” Tony knew what Harley was doing. Keeping his answers vague. He was afraid of getting in trouble. 

“Busy with what?”

“Homework…” Tony rolled his eyes. That wasn’t his best excuse. 

“Alright… Just try to get to class ok?” He wanted Harley to tell him everything. He wanted him to open up. But, he couldn’t force him. He had to choose to tell him.

“Ok…” Harley said.

Tony left some time for Harley to speak up. He never did. 

“I’ll talk to you later,” Harley said.

“Alright. See ya kid.” He settled for what little conversation they had. He could call him back in a week or so and hope to god he would open up. Something was really wrong with him. 

“Who was that?” A voice asked from behind him.

Tony jumped at the sudden voice and turned around. Peter was standing in the doorway grinning. He was clearly pleased that he had managed to sneak up on Tony.

“Jesus kid. You want to give me a heart attack? You’re asking for it.”

“Sorry Mr. Stark,” He said, dropping his backpack on the desk and hopping onto his stool. “But seriously, who was that?”

“Old friend.” 

“You said, kid…”

“I call everyone kid. And what did I tell you about listening in on my phone calls?”

Peter laughed but didn’t reply. He pulled out the suit and plugged it in.

“Woah what happened?” Tony asked. The suit was burned all over the chest and sleeves. The fabric was practically charred in places. In other places, it melted completely. It smelled like burnt plastic. 

“Oh just some guy with lightning hands,” He said as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Let me see your burns.”

“He didn’t burn me.”

“If he burned through the suit he burned you let me see.”

Peter sighed and lifted his shirt. His chest was red. There were no blisters but there was a spot where some of the skin had melted near his collarbone. Tony cringed when he saw it.

“It’s really not that bad. It’s healing fine.”

“Nope. Nuh-uh. We’re not doing this. Where else did you get burned?”

Peter sighed and took his shirt off. He flinched as the material brushed against his burns. His shoulders and arms were also singed. It wasn’t too bad though. Nothing Tony couldn’t handle. Just a few spots were bad. But, Peter was right. He was healing. 

“C’mon,” Tony said, pulling out his first aid kit. Peter sighed and followed him to the sink. 

“Did you at least get the lightning guy?” Tony poured disinfectant on the cloth and dabbed it against the worst parts of the burns.

“No… He got away. But, I’ll get him eventually.”

“You know you can always call me for backup right?”

“Is your suit lightning proof?”

“Is yours?”

“Touche… But, I can handle it. I’m gonna program a tracking device that searches the city for electricity spikes and shortages. I’m thinking he’ll be at one of the power plants. But when I asked Karen she said there were 24 in the city so I can’t go looking in all of them. That’s why I need the tracker.”

Tony nodded along as he continued to dab the burns. Every once in a while Peter would inhale sharply but, continue talking a moment later. Tony’s mind was on other issues though. He was more focused on Harley. What was going on with him? It wasn’t too long ago that the kid could hardly wait two days to call him. What happened? 

“Ow!” Tony’s mind snapped back to reality. Peter had flinched away from the cloth. His hand covering a particularly nasty burn on his shoulder. 

“Sorry kid,” Tony said. Peter nodded and removed his hand. Tony dabbed at his shoulder a few more times before dropping the cloth in the trash and wrapping Peter’s chest and shoulders. He would be able to take the bandages off before he had to go home. He healed quickly.

Peter hopped off the counter and put his shirt back on. He cringed as the bandages moved slightly. 

Tony washed his hands and sat back down beside Peter. They got to work on the tracker. It was difficult though. They had to make it durable enough to withstand electrical shocks of more than 1000 volts. It was tricky, but Peter eventually came up with a solution. They would have to put a thin protective case of rubber around the power source. The rest could be made out of a rubber polymer. 

Tony kept checking his phone. Hoping that Harley would call back or at least text him. Nothing. Peter didn’t even notice Tony’s constant checking. He was too caught up in the excitement of his new invention. 

Eventually, Peter had to go home. They had finished the tracker and Peter was confident it would work. Tony trusted him. 

He helped him take the bandages off. The wounds were mostly healed. The skin around them wasn’t red anymore either. Peter pulled his shirt back on and rushed out to the car. He shouted a quick goodbye over his shoulder before he fully disappeared behind the elevator doors. Tony was left alone to think about Harley. He had no clue what to do. At least Peter was alright. He wasn’t sure what he would do if both his kids were going off the rails.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Peter tried to stay awake through the Latin lesson. He really didn’t care about it. He had better things to do. But, for some reason, the American public school system thought it was important for Peter to learn a dead language instead of being a superhero. He was learning basic Latin phrases and -yawn-. 

He was tapping the eraser end of his pencil against his notebook and staring at the clock. He still had another half hour of Latin. He sighed and moved his attention to his notebook. His web fluid formula notes were scrawled across the page messily. He was trying to find a way to make them dissolve faster. Mr. Stark had requested it when he accidentally exploded one of his cartridges in the lab. Tony’s hand was stuck to his desk for two hours. The thought made Peter laugh. 

“Mr. Parker? You still with us?” Mr. Harrington asked. 

Peter’s eyes snapped to the front of the room. “Yea yea,” He replied. He scrawled what was written on the whiteboard onto his notebook as the class giggled. As Peter copied the Latin phrases and their meanings, his phone vibrated.

He pulled it from his pocket discretely and checked. The tracker had found electro (Ned had a habit of naming criminals). He was at one of the power plants in the Bronx. It was a far swing. But, he could manage. He wouldn’t be there long. Peter had to find a way to get out. 

He quickly raised his hand. Mr. Harrington rolled his eyes. “Yes, Peter you can go to the bathroom.”

“Thanks,” Peter said with an awkward smile. He hustled out of the classroom and ran down the hall. He stopped at his locker and grabbed his suit. He stuffed it under his shirt and locked himself in an empty classroom. He quickly changed and jumped out the window. 

He sent a quick text to Ned about the situation, dropped his clothes in a hedge, and began swinging. By the time he got to the Bronx, he was winded. His arms were pulsing from exertion. But, he wasn’t done yet. He still had a fight to pick. 

He spotted electro instantly. He was bigger than he was the last time Peter had seen him. He had absorbed more energy. Peter jumped from the fence he had perched on and landed right behind electro. 

“Hey man, you lost?” He asked.

Electro turned instantly and scoffed. “Spider-man? I thought I killed you.”

“I’m glad you were worried. I think you’ll be happy to hear I made a full recovery.”

“You won’t this time,” He seethed. He pulled his arms back and electricity flowed through them. His hands glowed yellow as he released the electricity. Peter quickly jumped out of the line of fire and landed a few feet away. 

“Seriously man, what’s your deal? You look… I don’t wanna say puffy.”

He didn’t answer, just turned to face Peter. He wound up his fist and sent a blast like a right hook. It swept past Peter by an inch. He could feel the heat against his face as it flew by. He was so busy dodging the first hit, that he didn’t notice electro had sent another blast with his left hand. It hit Peter right in the chest. His body froze and he flew backward into a brick wall a few feet behind him. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head. He had hit it hard. He smelled burning plastic. He looked at the chest of the suit. It was slightly melted. It was better than last time though. He and Tony had fixed the suit with heatproof material. It wasn’t fully working. They must’ve underestimated the amount of heat he was conducting. 

Peter hauled himself to his feet and watched as electro ripped the side of a generator off and grabbed one of the wires. He wrapped his hand around the open wire. The street lights and nearby buildings began flickering. White lines of electricity began crawling out from his feet. He was growing. He almost doubled in size before Peter even knew what was going on. The lights finally shut off and he dropped the wire. 

He turned to Peter and smiled. He now stood over 12 feet tall. Peter’s eyes widened. He was huge. 

Electro laughed deeply as lighting flickered in his eyes. Peter braced himself for more of a fight. He pressed himself against the brick wall and pushed off hard. He landed a quick kick to Electro’s face and landed behind him. It hardly did anything. Electro turned and blasted two bursts of lighting at Peter. He dodged but his left arm was hit in his flip. The suit instantly melted and his skin sizzled. 

He missed the landing on his flip and rolled a few feet. He instantly jumped to his feet keeping his left arm up close to his chest. God, it burned. He pushed the pain down as he shot a web. It landed on Electo’s eyes. He raised his hands to pull it off. That’s when Peter shot again. He stuck Electro's hands to his face and tugged him onto the ground. He fell with a loud thump. Peter shot more webs to keep him secure to the ground. He didn’t like that. He screamed and his whole body glowed. A huge blast erupted. Peter was thrown back into the wall again. His vision turned white as his head snapped against the bricks. 

He watched dazed as Electro stood. The webs that had held him down were charred. 

“I’m gonna crush you little spider!” He shouted.

“Karen, call Mr. Stark,” Peter said standing.

“Will do,” She said. 

Tony answered instantly as always. “What did you do this time?” He sighed. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Peter asked, jumping out of the way of another blast. 

“Whenever you call me during school it usually means you need me as a get out of jail free card. What did you do?”

“Uhh, I just need your help with something.”

“Uh Huh…”

Peter rolled his eyes. “I need you to-” He yelped as his web was burned. He fell onto the roof of the facility with a roll. “I need you to come to my coordinates. I’m at the electric plant in the Bronx. I found the lightning guy and I’m a web shooter down.”

“I’m on my way,” Tony said with new urgency. 

“Thanks,” Peter hung up and refocused. For a second he couldn’t see electro. His spider-sense flared and he turned around. Electro grabbed Peter by the wrists and his fists glowed yellow. Peter couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. His skin sizzled on both arms. The electricity flowed all through his body. 

He fell to the ground once he was released. Shocks still flowed through him causing his body to spasm. He coughed and choked for a moment before looking up. Electro was gone. He could see him flying away. Using the stolen energy like a jet pack.

Rain began splashing gently against the concrete. It soothed his arms.

“Kid? You alright?” Tony asked landing beside him.

“Ow,” was all Peter could manage. Because ow. His whole body felt like it had been burned. He felt like he’d just breathed in sand. And the skin on his arms felt like it was melted all the way to his shoulders. 

“Shit,” Tony said. “We gotta get you to the med bay. Those burns don’t look good.”

Peter nodded and stood. He looked down at his arms. It was bad. His wrists and forearms had third-degree burns all over. His biceps and shoulders felt the same but they didn’t look quite as bad. But, only one thing mattered to him.

“He got away.”

“Jesus, kid. Let’s focus on what’s important right now.”

“I let him get away.”

“I’d say narrowly escaping with your life. Seriously, he could’ve killed you. We’re lucky he gave up when I got here.”

Peter nodded. He didn’t want to argue. He let Tony pick him up and fly to the tower. The wind was murder on his arms. It was freezing. It hadn’t snowed yet but every day it felt like it would. Instead, it rained. It was pouring by the time they reached the sky. It felt good on his arms. And it cooled him down. The sweat on his face had melted. It was like a cold shower. 

Eventually, they landed on the landing pad and walked into the tower. The med bay was right off the landing pad in case of emergencies. Peter was glad of that. He was in a lot of pain. They walked into the med bay and one of the nurses Checked out Peter’s arms. She gave him something for the pain and then cleaned the wounds. Peter felt it, but it didn’t hurt. He just knew it should’ve hurt like crazy. 

She put some soothing cream on the burns and wrapped the worst parts. Just like the night before. She said he’d be able to take the wrappings off in the morning. Peter thanked her and met Tony in the waiting room. 

“May’s pissed. She called asking if we were on a mission. Since we aren’t…”

“Yea I missed school for nothing,” Peter flopped onto the couch beside Tony. 

“Not for nothing. Now we know that he’s more powerful. Also huge. Seriously a few more junkie hits like that he’ll be bigger than hulk.”

Peter nodded. 

“What’s up?” Tony asked.

“Just mad that I let him get away. Again…” 

“Seriously?” 

“Sorry, I can’t help it. I just feel like I’m never gonna be able to get him. Especially now. He’s huge.”

“You’ll get him. Next time you see him call me right away though. We’ll deal with him together. In the meantime, I’ll fix the suit. Maybe make it a bit more heat resistant… I’m not sure I can make it lightning bolt proof though. 50,000 degrees is a bit excessive.”

Peter nodded and stood. “May’s gonna kill me. I’ll see you tomorrow Mr. Stark.”

“See ya,” Tony replied. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The apartment door creaked as he opened it. He slid in and shut it behind him. 

“Oh my god…” May gasped. She was standing a few feet away from him. Obviously, she had been waiting for him to get home. She walked towards him and grabbed his chin. She carefully moved his head around to assess the damages to his face. “What happened?”

“Just some guy with lightning powers…” Peter mumbled. “I’m fine, Mr. Stark had me checked out.”

“What about your arms? He said they were bad.”

“They’re wrapped up. I’m fine May.”

“In that case, you’re grounded. We agreed you'd only ditch school for missions. Fate of the world missions. If it’s not on the news then it’s not worth it. What were you thinking?”

“Ow… I’m in agony,” Peter fake whined.

“Yeah, nice try. No patrolling tonight-for the rest of the week.”

Peter nodded and walked to his room. He collapsed on his bed. He noticed his backpack and clothes were in a pile on his desk. He silently thanked Ned and closed his eyes. He was exhausted. Adrenaline crash and the pain meds mixed together horribly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know any mistakes in the comments. I made this chapter longer because I just had so much to fit in. Anyway, back to my essays... Yawn...


	5. Why Tony Needs A Vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! hello and sorry for disappearing again lol. I've been working almost every day for the past three months and that took so much out of me. But, I have this chapter as well as the next few all finished and I plan to post them asap. Anyway, enjoy!

Tony sighed as he rose from the couch in the waiting room. Peter had just disappeared around the corner. He wanted to get the suit done before something else went horribly wrong. The last thing he wanted was for Peter to get caught up in something and not have his suit. He sat on his stool in the lab and assessed the damages. The gloves and sleeves were melted all the way up to the shoulders. He winced as he remembered how Peter’s arms looked. 

He pushed the memory from his mind and began working on a material that could survive that much electricity. He was on his third try at incorporating hafnium carbide into the fabric when his phone rang. 

He dropped everything and snatched it from the table silently praying it was Harley. It wasn’t. It was Abbie. Tony’s stomach dropped. She only called when something was wrong. Tony sighed and lifted the phone to his ear. He turned his stool away from his workbench and toward the window. The sun was up already. He glanced at the clock. It was eight AM.

“Hello,” Tony said. He sounded more tired than he felt. 

“It’s Harley… It’s really bad,” Abbie choked out. She sounded like she’d been crying.

“Is he ok? What happened?” The pit in his stomach deepened. 

“He’s not hurt. Well… He’s alright he’s not in danger but,” She wasn’t sure how to word it best. “He and mom had a fight…”

“I’ll talk to him,” Tony said instantly. “You don’t have to tell me. I think it would be best if I heard it from him.”

“Mhm…” She managed between sobs.

“Thanks for calling me. I’ll take it from here.” Abbie hung up first. Tony released a deep sigh. In all the years he’d known Harley, he’d never seen Abbie hysterical like that. Something must’ve really scared her. She was prone to call when she knew Harley wouldn’t. But, she’d never reacted to anything like that. It scared Tony. A lot. 

He dialled Harley and listened to it ring. He picked up but didn’t say anything. Tony could just hear him breathing.

“Just say the word and I’m there. I could make it down there by tomorrow night and help you fix this but I need you to say the word.”  
Harley stayed silent.

“This isn’t a lecture or me trying to chew you out. I want to help you.” He wasn’t lying. He really just wanted to help him. He just needed Harley to say he needed it.

“What did she tell you?” His voice was low and hoarse. He sounded almost sick.

“Nothing. I wanted to hear it from you.”

“It’s nothing. I can handle it.”

“Kid, I know you think I don’t care. But, I do. I want you to grow up to use your genius for good. Not wasting it on pranks at school. Or that piece of junk car.” Tony silently prayed Harley would just bend and spill everything he’d kept secret for the past five years. It didn’t happen.

“Why’d you and your mom fight?” Tony broke the silence.

Harley sighed. “When I came home from school… I had a black eye and I wouldn’t tell her who did it.”

“Harley…” There was a long pause. Tony sighed defeatedly. “Why not?”

“Because it doesn’t matter. They’re just some douchebags. It’s whatever.”

“You don’t have to tell me. But, you should tell your mom. She’s just worried about you.”

“Yea I know.”

Tony was about to ask him if there was anything else. He knew Abbie wouldn’t react to a black eye like that. She’d seen Harley worse from what Tony had heard about the fights Harley had been in. But, before he could, there was a ping on his screen. There was an electricity spike. At almost the same time, he got a text from Peter. 

‘Electro at school’ it said. The pit in Tony’s stomach grew even deeper. 

“Hey, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later ok?” Tony said.

“Sure,” Harley said. He hung up without another word. Tony sighed and jumped from his seat. He wished he’d had more time to talk to Harley. But, he’d have to call him back after. Peter was up against electro (Tony hated it when Peter named villains) alone. Without a suit. This was the makings for a disaster. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dude! You missed decathlon yesterday. MJ is gonna kill you,” Ned said, running to catch up with Peter.

“I know I just had… A thing…” Peter whispered.

“Ooooh,” Ned’s face lit up at the mention. “Was it Electro? Did you beat him? Is he on the raft now? How-”

“Ned,” Peter nudged him on the arm. He had a habit of asking very secret questions very loudly in very public places.

“Sorry, did you get him though?”

“No, he got away.”

“Damn.”

The two sat down in physics class. Peter was itching to continue his web shooter formula. He pulled it out of his backpack and began scrawling down his new ideas. He had a lot of time to think about it on the train ride to school. 

“Hello everyone. Today is an exciting day. I’m sure you’re all aware that during fourth period we’ll all assemble in the gym in celebration of our senior class’s first arc reactor model,” The teacher said as she walked in. The class whispered in excitement.

“I’m sure you’re all excited. I am too. I think Mr. Harrington even got a few local news stations to attend,” more whispers. “But, that’s at the end of the day. For now, we’re focusing on chapter six in your textbooks.” 

She began writing the day's lesson on the whiteboard. The class erupted into a cacophony of zippers and turning pages. Peter tried to block out as much as possible. 

Just as the teacher began speaking again, the lights shut off. Someone in the back screamed and there was a wave of giggles from the class. 

“Did the power go out?” Someone shouted.

“Do we get to go home if it doesn’t come back on?” Someone else yelled.

“Guys, please relax,” the teacher said. “I’m going to the office to check this out. Everyone stay here.”

Peter’s spider-sense flared as the teacher reached for the doorknob. There was another scream in the classroom. And then another. People were jumping from their seats. Peter looked to the window. There was a glowing yellow light. 

Then, a loud shatter. Every window in the classroom was blasted inward. Glass rained down on the class. Peter shielded Ned’s head from the shards and stood. 

“Everyone out! Go go go!” The teacher yelled. She held the door open as students covered their heads and ran from the classroom. Ned and Peter were last to leave. 

“He’s here? Why did he come here? Are you gonna suit up?” Ned asked.

“No, I can’t. Mr. Stark has my suit, he's fixing it.”

Another powerful blast rocked the school. Other classroom doors flew open. Students ran through the halls and down the stairs. Peter pressed himself against a wall and pulled out his phone. He typed out a simple message and sent it to Mr. Stark. 

“Ned go! I’ll meet you outside. I just have to make sure everyone gets out.”

Ned nodded and ran down the hallway with the rest of the students. It wasn’t long before the hallway was empty. Peter ran to each classroom and poked his head inside. He never found anyone. He thought that was a small victory at least. 

Another blast knocked Peter off his feet. He landed on his knees and looked around. Electro wasn’t in sight. He wasn’t outside the windows or in the hallway. Peter got a sick feeling. He scrambled to his feet and down the hall. Just down the grand staircase… Was him. Electro was standing in his school. 

He smiled when he saw Peter. “All alone?” He asked with a laugh.

Peter turned and sprinted down the hall. Electro cackled and chased after him. Peter turned the corner and slid into an empty classroom. He left the door open and pressed his back against the wall behind the door. He held his breath as loud footsteps boomed.

“You’re fast huh?” He said. The footsteps got further and further away. Peter peaked through the crack in the door. No sign of him. He sighed and ran down toward his locker. His old web-shooters were underneath it. Along with his old costume. Worst case scenario he would have to wear that. But, he didn’t think he’d have time to put it on. So, he aimed for just the web-shooters. He reached his locker and reached to grab it from underneath. Before he could lift it though, he was blasted forward ten feet. He hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop. Electro was grinning down at him. 

“Where’s the arc reactor?” He growled. 

“Shit,” Peter whispered. That’s why he’d come to the school. Arc reactors were self-sustaining energy. He’d have unlimited power if he got his hands on it. 

“Where is it? Are you deaf?” He asked again.

Peter stood and took a deep breath. He quickly reached under the locker and grabbed his web-shooters. Just as he dropped the lockers, Electro screamed and shot a blast at him. Peter rolled out of the way and shoved the web-shooters onto his wrists.   
He shot a web at Electro’s eyes and ran forward. He fell onto his back and slid between Electro’s legs. He shot webs onto both the man’s ankles and tugged hard once he was clear. The man toppled over and screamed angrily. The webs were incinerated instantly. 

The familiar sound of repulsors grew closer and closer. Peter smiled to himself. Electro was too afraid to fight Iron Man in their last encounter. Electro stood and ripped the last of the webs from his face. He growled and charged his arms for his next attack. Before the energy could be released though, the nearest window exploded inward. Peter threw his arms over his head and ducked. He heard energy release and repulsor blasts. Then, silence. When he raised his head, Electro had one hand wrapped around Iron man’s neck and the other pressed against the arc reactor. 

“FRIDAY, eject!” Mr. Stark yelled. He was instantly pushed out of the back of the suit. He stepped out and backed up a few steps. Electro didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he looked happier now that Tony was free from the suit. 

“Shit!” Peter said. He shot a web at the suit and tugged hard. The suit almost escaped Electro’s grip. But, he was too strong. And now that he had an arc reactor, he would only get stronger. Mr. Stark grabbed Peter by the arm and began running. 

Peter watched over his shoulder as Electro absorbed more power from the arc reactor. He grew so tall he had to hunch to be able to stand. He grinned and his arms began glowing yellow. Peter’s whole body erupted in goosebumps. His ears rang as he grabbed Mr. Stark’s cuff and threw them both away from the blast. They landed on the ground on the other side of the hall. A black spot appeared on the wall beside the trophy case where they had just been. 

Peter began to think. Searching for a plan. He had originally thought electro was afraid of Iron man and that’s why he’d left their last fight. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. He thought of everything that happened that day. And then it hit him. It started raining just as Mr. Stark had arrived. He remembered it because it felt good against his burns. His eyes instantly shot toward the sprinklers on the ceiling. A plan began to form in his mind. 

“You got a plan?” Mr. Stark asked.

“Yea. But, you gotta get cover,” Peter ran to the nearest classroom and opened the door. He noticed the hesitation on Mr. Stark’s face. “Trust me, I got this.”

Mr. Stark sighed but nodded. He entered the empty classroom and closed the door behind him. Peter knew he was watching from the window. He didn’t care. 

Peter got goosebumps again. He turned just in time to see the bolt of electricity fly towards him. He fell onto his back and it hit the wall behind him. “That was rude!” He shouted and shot a web at the fire alarm. He tugged it and a loud siren went off. Peter shot a web at the ceiling and pulled himself up off the floor just as the sprinklers went off. Electro screamed in pain and fell to the ground. There was a loud sizzling noise as his body shrunk down to regular size.

It didn’t take long for Electro to pass out. Peter took that as a sign he wouldn’t die if he stepped in the puddles. He slowly released the web and landed on the wet floor with a small splash. Tony was beside him instantly. He whistled when he saw Electro on the floor. 

“I can’t lie kid, you did a good job,” He put his arm around Peter’s soaked shoulder. The sprinklers still hadn’t shut off. Peter thought about how he’d ruined Tony’s Tom Ford suit. 

“Yea well, the security cameras definitely caught that…” Peter said pointing to the camera hanging in the corner. 

“Unless they were somehow caught in the crossfire and lost all their footage,” Tony shrugged. “FRIDAY?”

“Working on it… All cameras that caught footage of this event have been neutralized.”

“Thank you, darling,” He turned to Peter. “You better get outta here before this place is swarming with FBI agents.”

Peter nodded and ran down the hallway. The whole school was drenched in an inch of water. But, at least the sprinklers were off. He ran to his chemistry class and grabbed his spare clothes from his bag. He quickly changed in the bathroom and snuck out to the front lawn with the rest of the students. No one seemed to notice his absence. All except Ned of course.

“Dude! What happened? Did you beat him? Why’s your hair wet? Is Iron Man still here? Do you think he’ll come to the arc reactor thing? Is-”

“Ned,” Peter gave him a warning look. He was used to the billions of questions. But, Ned always forgot they were in public when he’d ask them. 

“Sorry, we’ll talk later…” He whispered. Peter smiled and sat down next to Ned on the lawn. People were pulling up the frozen grass and throwing it at each other. Peter shivered. The air was dry and cold. He knew his ears and nose were already turning red. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. 

The crowd of students gasped and cheered. Peter looked to where they were pointing. Iron Man was flying away. Peter grinned. He could hear the police cars on the other side of the school. 

The crowd groaned at a loud high pitched squeak.

“Sorry,” Mr. Harrington said through a megaphone. “The police have informed us that the fire alarms were tripped during Iron Man’s fight. The south hall is covered in an inch of water. Also, several windows were broken…”

The crowd whispered excitedly. 

“With that said, the school is closed for the rest of the week for repairs and cleanup.”

The crowd erupted into applause. Mr. Harrington nodded and held his hand up to silence the crowd. “Buses are on standby in the back parking lot everyone else, have a great week see you on Monday.”

Peter and Ned rose from their seats on the lawn. Ned handed Peter his bag and the two walked down the lawn and onto the busy street. Peter could see Ned itching to ask a million questions. Peter sighed. 

“Is your hair wet because of the sprinklers?” Ned exploded.

Peter smiled. “Yea… I found out his weakness was water.”

“Awesome!”

**Author's Note:**

> Go follow me on Tumblr for updates on chapters, background info, and more :) https://itbelikethatsometimes10.tumblr.com/


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